Goodbye G12

Today I got the sad news that my beloved Canon Powershot G12 is well and truly dead. It got sick last week and has been awaiting diagnosis in a Canon service centre in Quito. Today they told me it would cost $420 to fix. A new camera shipped from the USA will cost me $379. Go figure.

My travel insurance told me that since it was a mechanical breakdown, they wouldn't cover it. Fuckers.

This is me now:

 Urban Dictionary defines 'sad face' as follows:

2. A sad face is an expression used in electronic communication such as texting and emails to convey an emotion without using an emoticon. Nevertheless, caution should be used when interpreting this term due to wide range of emotions that may be attached to it. It could mean "sad face" as in "I pouted for half a second" or it could mean "sad face" as in "I'm broken hearted beyond belief." 

In my case it definately means 'I am broken hearted beyond belief'...it definately DOESN' T mean 

3. A sudden and extreme need or desire to defecate. Sensations of despair and hopelessness prevail over all other emotions, dampening out any joy or laughter that may be surrounding the person afflicted, thus resulting in a sad face. Relieved only by the timely use of the latrine. Typically occurs after nicotine is introduced into the body.

WTF?????????

Anyway. Goodbye G12, I will miss you.

The Rum Diaries Part XVII

Our final nod to Ecuadorian rum producers- a bottle of Ron Castillo Añejo- before we cross the border into the far more exciting world of Ron de Colombia!!

Castillo invoked a bit of a 'meh' response in both of us. Luckily, it came with a free glass, which boosted it a few extra points. Plus it was $8, so you can't really complain can you!!

Fun & Games at Latitude 0

We went to check out Mitad del Mundo today- the monument and theme-park styled city celebrating Latitude 0. For a line on the ground, it was a surprising amount of fun!!!

The impressive monument that pops up in 99% of tourist pics is actually about 250m off the true equator...oops.

The rival Inti Nan museum next door proudly claims the honour of being at Latitude 0 and has a bunch of fun games that prove it.

Our favourite was balancing a raw egg on a nail- almost impossible to do anywhere other than bang on the equator.

 

After achieving egg-equilibrium we were awarded the title of egg-master and received a certificate!! Woohoo!!

Almost as impressive was the experiment that proves that it pays to trust The Simpsons in all matters scientific. We watched as the guide filled a tub of water over the equator and it drained straight out- next he moved the tub to the south and the water drained out clockwise and finally he repeated the test to the north and we had anti-clockwise drainage!! The Coriolis Effect in practice!!

It was like being in an segment of "Why Is It So?" What do you know...learning can be fun!!

Making it happen in Baños

We did it! We broke the cycle of laziness in Ecuador! I have to say, Baños was the perfect place to make amends. It's marketed as the adventure capital of Ecuador and there is heaps of sporty, fun stuff to do.

We managed to complete the Baños trifecta of hike, bike, bathe. We hiked to Runtun & to the two Miradors perched high above the town, we biked along the Ruta de las Cascadas and we bathed in the thermal pools that give Baños it's name. Ok, so bathing is not exactly sporty...but those medicinal waters are healthy so we're counting it.

The biking wasn't exacty strenuous either- pretty much the entire 50km route is downhill- but it was heaps of fun and we did get a bit of exercise clambouring up and down the valley to check out the various waterfalls. The most famous is Pailon del Diablo, but our favourite was Machay, where you could swim at the base of the falls.

Taking the tarabita (cable car) across to see Manto de la Novia & San Pedro falls was fun, if slightly terrifying. Rather than a sedate descent the cable car plummets a few hundred metres before screeching to a halt just as you think you're going to be scrambled against the other side.  

 



It's probably no coicidence that all this activity was accompanied by multiple AFD's. Baños is going to go down as our healthiest South American city!

The Rum Diaries Part XVI

2300 Altura de los Andes Ron is the second Ecuadorian rum we've tried so far and by far the best!! So what's so special about the high altitude ageing process?? This is what Guatemalan producer Ron Zacapa has to say about their rum (which, coincidentally is aged at exactly the same altitude!)

At sea level, the air is warmer and the air pressure is lower, which accelerates the ageing process. The opposite is true when ageing at high altitude. The climate is cooler and the air is thinner, which allows a slow aging process. With a constant average temperature of 14°C (58°F). The altitude also lends a certain pressure to the atmosphere that intensifies the blends.

Hmmm, interesting. And tasty.

Ecuador; land of inactivity

That is probably a little unfair to Ecuador since it's really us who have been shamefully inactive...but when I look back at our time in South America I think Ecuador will stand out for being the place where we achieved fuck all. Not counting some seriously successful rum diaries of course.

After Cuenca we headed to the coast for some sun & surf, only to be somewhat disapointed by a complete lack of sun and rather average surf. We still managed to hang out in Puerto Lopez for almost a week, eating seafood & experimenting with juice combos (watermelon & pineapple rocks). We did manage to head out to the 'poor man's Galapagos', Isla de la Plata, and see some boobies (of the bird, not hooter variety):

Blue-footed Booby

Nazca Booby



After Puerto Lopez we took the bus further up north to Canoa, which must be one of the easiest places in the world to do nothing. Beautiful beach, very laid back vibe and copious numbers of palm-frond thatched bars in which to while away the sunset hours (and beyond). We also found a like minded group of travellers with which to indulge, so many a dollar was spent on beer & caipirinha and many a morning was slept away. We tried to do sea-kayaking to visit a nearby cave...really we did!!! But the weather was against us and the kayaking never happened.

Our next stop is Baños where we are going to attempt to break the cycle and have something other than beachside cocktails  & arroz con mariscos to remember Ecuador by.